The Cases That Shape Us
by maggienhawk
Summary: Grissom and Sara realize that there are cases that shape them into the investigators they are today. COMPLETED
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Cases that Shape Us  
  
Author: Maggienhawk  
  
Disclaimer: Dear Santa..Please let them be mine?!?!  
  
Summary: Grissom and Sara realize that there are cases that shape them into the investigators they are today.  
  
Sara was sitting at the computer terminal, waiting for some new information on their case to come up. It would have been perfectly normal, if only the case wasn't two weeks old, and there was a stitch of physical evidence to even find a suspect. DNA had been run through CODIS before, no fingerprints found, nothing. But she was still hoping maybe CODIS, since it's updated every few weeks, would spit something out. It happened on the "Strip Strangler" case a few years ago, maybe it would help. She had the case file sitting in front of her, and every so often she would glance up to the computer screen to see if anything matched.  
  
And this is how Grissom found her, leaning on the desk over the file, an empty coffee cup next to the keyboard. He had told her two hours ago they would be halting the investigation on their case, at the end of shift. It would go with the other cold cases on the fish board in his office. Just another case that couldn't be solved, another case they would turn to on a slow night.  
  
"Sara?" Grissom asked tentatively.  
  
She was startled by the unexpected voice, and whipped her head to see Grissom with that look on his face. The look that meant she was about to get a talking to. "Oh, uh, hey Griss. What's up?" She plastered a small version of her thousand watt smile on her face.  
  
"Is that the Shannon case?"  
  
Her smile fell. "Yeah, it is. I just wanted to look over it one last time before it gets pinned up on the board." She looked back down at the file.  
  
"Okay, just as long as you leave here on time today. There's nothing else we can work with, Sara. There will be other cases that need to be solved, that can be solved." For once, Grissom spoke to her sympathetically when telling her she needs to stop getting emotional with her cases.  
  
"I will Griss. And I know there are other cases, it's just that." She trailed off when she looked up to him, seeing the look of sympathy on his face.  
  
"I know, Sara. Here, give me the file, and I'll."  
  
"No!" Sara jumped up from her chair, and guarded the file from him. At his confused look, she quickly calmed down. "Sorry, I just want to pin it up. I'll put it up in a few minutes." She gave him a small smile.  
  
"Alright Sara, I'll be in my office if you need me." And with that he walked out the door.  
  
Sara turned back to the file on the desk. With one last glance at the victim's photo, a beautiful 19 year old college sophomore, Sara shut the folder. Sighing, she closed the program on the computer and shut it down. She looked back down at the plain vanilla file folder, and ran her fingers over the cover. Finally, she picked it up off the desk and walked down the hall into Grissom's office.  
  
When she got to his office, she halted at the door, and watched him for a few seconds. He was doing some paperwork, like usual at the end of a shift. Things had gotten better between them working this case together. It had really brought them closer together professionally, much like they had been the first two years she worked in Vegas. They no longer ignored the other, or spoke as little as needed to solve the case. They had bounced idea after idea off of one another, and actually bantered like they had way in the beginning, before Hank, before Heather, before the dinner invitation. She only hoped that things would stay that way for awhile.  
  
Sensing someone watching him, he looked up to find Sara standing in his doorway. Giving her a small upturn of his lips, she motioned for her to come in.  
  
Sara walked in, but instead of going to his desk, she walked over to the fish board. 'The ones that got away,' she thought with sadness. She looked down to the file in her hands, and when she looked back up and over to Grissom, who was standing near his desk, there was moisture building up in here eyes.  
  
He noticed this, and walked over to Sara, his eyes never leaving hers. When he reached her, she turned her head downwards, away from him. He reached over and rubbed the spot in between her shoulder blades gently. He leaned over, and whispered in her ear, "Sara, its time. I have to go check on the others and their cases before I leave tonight. I'll be right back."  
  
Sara just nodded. He left the room, and she watched the doorway that he just exited for a moment. Then she turned back to the board. In the three and a half years that she had worked in Vegas, she had never pinned a case on the board. She had been on cases that had been pinned up there, but never had been the one to physically do it. That was Grissom's job, or Catherine's. Very rarely it was Nick's or Warrick's, but never hers.  
  
A tear fell on to the file folder after a few minutes of Sara just standing there looking at it. Finally, she reached up and pulled a pin out of the cork, and punched it through the file. 'There,' she thought to herself, 'I did it. I put the case down.'  
  
She then ran out of the office to the locker room.  
  
TBC. 


	2. Chapter 2

Grissom returned to his office to find it empty. He looked over at the fish board and was relieved to see the Shannon file pinned up. But then he noticed a small, circular discoloration on the file folder. As soon as he realized that it was wet, he saw someone rushing past his office in the corner of his eye. Walking to the door to see who it was, and possibly to tell them to slow down a bit, he was still trying to figure out what the wet spot on the folder was from. It clicked as soon as he recognized the person running down the hall. Sara had gone to the locker room, grabbed her jacket and bag, and was out the door before anyone could stop her.  
  
'Damn,' Grissom thought, 'I need to catch her before she leaves.' He grabbed his coat off of the back of his chair, and threw some papers into his briefcase. He managed to shut the lights of his office off at the same time as shutting the door, without slamming his arm in the closing door. He walked quickly out to the parking lot, hoping that he didn't miss her.  
  
Sara reached her car, and bent over trying to catch her breath for a few moments. She had run to the car so no one would see her crying, and she had made it, barely. As soon as she had unlocked her car, sat behind the wheel, and put the key in the ignition, tears started streaming down her face, and within a few moments she was sobbing uncontrollably. But they weren't really tears of sadness. They were caused by anger, anger for the things that people did to each other, anger for the man who had brutally raped and killed Kerrigan Shannon, anger for not being able to solve the case.  
  
Grissom squinted against the bright Nevada sun, and glanced around the parking lot. When he noticed her familiar car still sitting in its usual spot, he sighed with relief and began to walk towards it. It was then that he noticed that she was hunched over, holding her hands to her face. In the past, he probably would have just let her cry, and she would have been fine the next night at work. However, when he saw her hit the steering wheel, he realized he had never, ever in his life seen Sara break down so bad. He knew he had to do something about it, so he kept walking towards her car.  
  
"Dammit!" Sara slammed her right palm into the steering wheel, needing to force the anger out of her body. Unfortunately, she hurt her hand more than she did the steering wheel, and once the pain registered in her mind, the sobs began to subside, and she started rubbing her palm. Tears were still streaming down her face, when she heard a tapping on her window. Looking up, she saw Grissom staring back at her with a worried look on his face. Wiping her face with the back of her right hand, she rolled down the window with her left hand. She gave him a small, fleeting smile.  
  
"Sara, are you okay?" Grissom asked, and Sara could tell that he was really worried.  
  
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine Grissom. I just got a little upset." She went back to rubbing her hand, a small grimace formed on her face.  
  
"What's wrong with your hand?" He reached in the car window, grabbed her hand, and began looking it over for any injuries.  
  
"Nothing, I just slammed it into the steering wheel. It's fine. I really need to get going." She went to pull her hand away from him, but he wouldn't let go. Looking up from her hand, his eyes locked with hers, where tears were still forming.  
  
"There's going to be a bruise," he stated with no emotion in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, well I can handle that. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow."  
  
"Sara, get out of the car."  
  
"Why?" Sara was confused. Not even thirty minutes ago was he telling her to go home, and now he wanted her to stay.  
  
"Because I can't let you drive home like this. You're not going to be able to concentrate on the road. Let me take you home."  
  
"Grissom, I'll be fine, just."  
  
"Please Sara," he pleaded. "Please, just humor me and let me drive you home."  
  
Sara noticed for the first time since he knocked on her window that he was actually reaching out to her. She realized he was right, she shouldn't be driving. 'What the hell was I thinking?' she thought to herself as she reached for the door handle and climbed out of her car.  
  
Grissom sighed a sigh of relief as he silently guided her to his car on the other side of the parking lot. 


	3. Chapter 3

Grissom pulled into a parking space in front of Sara's apartment. After about 2 minutes, Sara was still sitting in the passenger seat of his SUV, every so often a lone tear falling from her eyes. Finally, he turned to her and asked in the gentlest voice he had, "Sara?"  
  
The soft sound started her out of her thoughts, and she realized that she was at her apartment. The past twenty minutes she had spent trying to calm her anger, and also decipher Grissom's attitude towards her. Even though their relationship had progressed well in the past two weeks, she still couldn't figure out why he was being so nice to her, especially since she was being emotional over a case. She self-consciously rubbed her eyes and turned to look into his eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry Grissom. I just kind of got lost in my thoughts for few seconds."  
  
"A few seconds, Sara? You've been lost in thought since we left the lab." He reached over and touched her arm.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I have." Sara looked up at her apartment building, instantly realizing she didn't want to go up there alone. "Griss?" She hesitated.  
  
"Yes, Sara?"  
  
"Um, would you like to come up for a cup of coffee?" She looked over towards him, and at his confused look, answered his unasked question. "I just don't think that I want to be alone right away. Just a cup of coffee, between friends?"  
  
Knowing that confessing that she needed someone was something Sara Sidle didn't normally do, Grissom could not refuse. "Coffee between friends would be nice."  
  
They climbed out of the SUV and walked side by side into the apartment building, Grissom guiding Sara with his hand on the small of her back.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After fixing two cups of coffee, Sara brought them into her living room where Grissom was seated on her couch. After taking a small sip from his, Grissom started their conversation, "Sara, are you really okay?"  
  
Sara sighed. "I think so. I just needed to get it all out. It was a really rough case."  
  
"I know Sara, but you've really got to let these cases go. They shouldn't bother you this much."  
  
Sara jumped up off the couch. "Grissom, do not give me this right now! I don't need to hear it. I've heard it enough times already."  
  
"Sara." He tried to clam her down, and got up to get her to stop pacing the room.  
  
"No!" She jerked her arm away from him when he went to touch her. "I can't listen to you! You tell me this every single time I get emotional about a case. And yet I know for a fact that there are cases that make you emotional Grissom, and don't you dare try to deny it!"  
  
"I'm not going to deny it. I just want to know why you act like this. Why you let it get so bad that you have to cry or get so angry you hurt yourself."  
  
"I'm not like you Grissom. I realize you do have feelings, but I can't keep mine all bottled up like you do. I need to let it all out, or I'll go crazy."  
  
"I realize this. But I have never seen you get this bad. I've seen you cry, but sobbing and getting angry is something I've never seen, Sara, and I'm.I'm worried about you."  
  
Sara stopped pacing, and looked to Grissom, who was now standing back over near the couch. When she finally looked up into his eyes, she could see the emotions running through their blue depths. She had seen his eyes like that twice before, first when she was decoy for the Feds during the "Strip Strangler" case. And second after the lab blew up and he had found her on the curb.  
  
When he noticed that she had calmed down to an extent, he pleaded with her, "Sara, will you please come over here and sit down." He motioned to her couch and sat down, indicating for her to sit next to him.  
  
She walked over and sat down. Grissom reached over and rubbed her shoulder, letting her know that he was just trying to help. After a few silent, comfortable minutes, Sara quietly spoke.  
  
"She was only nineteen years old."  
  
A lone tear made its way down her cheek. Grissom reached over and wiped it away. She looked up from the coffee table she had been staring at, and questioned him silently. He just shrugged.  
  
She spoke again once she looked away, back to the tabletop. "Did you know that she was a physics major?"  
  
"Yes, I did."  
  
"I guess the case hit a little too close to home for me, Griss." Anticipating his next question and looking up to see his questioning glance, she continued. "Why? Why do cases make you emotional, Grissom? You've said it yourself. Men that hit their wives and people that hurt kids. Those are the cases that bother you. You don't have people asking why those cases bother you, even when you do show the little emotion you do. Why do they ask me? Why does everyone have to know why a case bothers me, but not you?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe you make it a little more obvious that there is a reason for you being determined to solve the case." His hand had moved down her arm to her hand, where she turned her hand over and allowed their fingers to intertwine.  
  
"Maybe, but these cases are the ones that shape us. They make us the investigators that we are. We try the hardest to solve these cases because they are the ones that we don't want to let the bad guys get away with. We hate to see someone go through what we find to be repulsive, or what we've personally experienced. We all have our cases, Catherine works hardest on cases involving little children. Warrick gets emotional when the case involves a decent person that has come from an underprivileged childhood. Nick, he hates sexual abuse on children. You don't like abusive husbands. I don't deal well with rape and sexual assault. Some are obvious; some are not so obvious because these are our secrets." She sighed and the two sat in silence for a few minutes  
  
She started again, regret evident in her voice. "This Shannon case, it's going to be the case that will bug me for the rest of my career, or my life. I'm connected to this case whether I like it or not. My past makes me relate to this college sophomore that was majoring in physics. Our personalities were very similar. I couldn't solve it, and now its up on the board. When it's slow, I'll pull it down to go over it, then it'll go right back up. Subconsciously, I know that it probably won't ever get solved, but I want to know that I've looked over everything and made sure I didn't miss anything. You have one case that's up on that board that you can't stand it being up there. The Mitchell case, woman found dead in her house, signs of long term abuse, son found locked in his bedroom. Prime suspect: the husband, but there is absolutely no evidence of him being the killer."  
  
"How do you figure that is "my" case?" Grissom was intrigued to hear her answer.  
  
"The file folder it's in is pretty beat up, like it's been handled too many times. The papers are almost yellowed and the edges are soft. It's a ten year old case, but I've seen files from ten year old cases that were in better condition. If I were a gambler, I'd bet good money that that isn't even the original file folder. The original probably split right up the middle from being opened and closed so many times."  
  
"And you would win that bet, Sara." He was impressed at her deduction.  
  
Sara turned to face Grissom, tucking one of her legs under her on the couch. She continued, a little less animated then before. "But it doesn't matter to me why the case affects you, just that it does. I don't think you can be a good investigator if you look at every case without emotion. You have to put emotion into your work, into solving the crimes. That's why we joined this field, to make a difference. You can't make a difference if you show no emotion. Right?"  
  
Grissom was silent for a moment, but soon answered her question. "You are absolutely right, Sara. But don't you ever wonder why? Why certain cases get to someone else? Or is it just me because I'm in a supervisor position and feel that I should know everyone's strengths, or weaknesses?"  
  
"Of course I wonder. I wonder what is in that folder that makes Grissom go back to it every month or so? Why a case involving an abusive husband and father? It makes me wonder what kind of childhood you had if the one case that defines you, the one case you have to solve if it's the last thing you do, includes all of that stuff. It's human nature to wonder why your friends are sensitive to certain things in life. But I'm not about to ask them, because I hate being asked. If they want me to know, they will let me know. And if I'm comfortable with someone knowing why my weaknesses are my own, I will tell them when I'm ready to."  
  
The two of them sat for awhile, holding hands, listening to the soft jazz music Sara had put in the CD player before the emotionally draining conversation had begun. Sara leaned sideways into the back of the couch and shut her eyes. But they soon snapped open when she heard Grissom speak softly.  
  
"I was four years old." 


	4. Chapter 4

"I was four years old." Grissom paused and took a breath that seemed as if he was gathering all of the courage in his being to tell this story  
  
Sara, during this pause, snapped into action. "Griss, I definitely didn't mean that you had to answer all of those questions."  
  
"But you said if someone wanted you to know, they would tell you. And I want you to know. I've never told anyone because I've never felt completely comfortable telling this story. But with you, I don't know, with you it's different."  
  
Sara was stunned to say the least. If just Grissom confessing that he was comfortable with her knowing his deepest, darkest secret was making her feel the way she did right then, then she could not even imagine how she would feel if he told her that he loved her. "Well," she said as soon as she had found her voice, "Only if you are totally sure about it."  
  
Grissom just looked into her eyes and nodded. "I'm completely sure." He took another breath and began his story again.  
  
"I was four years old when I first saw my father hit my mother. It had probably happened before that, but that was the first time I had ever witnessed the abuse. I was outside playing, probably out looking for bugs or something, and I heard my parents arguing in the kitchen. I went inside, and walked into the kitchen just in time to see my father smack my mother across her face." Grissom closed his eyes, and hung his head as he continued. "My mother had just found out she was pregnant with a second child, and apparently he wasn't too happy about it."  
  
"I ran up to my mother to give her a hug, but before I could get to her, my father grabbed my arm and drug me to my bedroom. Well, my mother was right behind him, yelling at him for treating me the way he was. She didn't care what he had done to her, but the minute he laid a hand on me, she was not going to tolerate the abuse."  
  
"I was locked in my bedroom, but I could hear every word of their argument because they were right outside my door in the hallway. And I will never forget what my father said that day." Grissom paused and raised his head to look into Sara's eyes.  
  
Sara noticed the moisture building up in his eyes, and she reached over and rubbed his upper arm, showing him that she wanted him to tell her, and that she would be there to comfort him, no matter what. "What did he say, Gil?"  
  
Grissom's eyes flickered confusion at her use of his first name, but flickered right back to sadness when he started talking again. "He asked how she could have let this happen, how she could get pregnant again, when he didn't even want 'that first one' to begin with."  
  
Sara was stunned into silence. Grissom, the same Grissom that was so confident in his work, had just revealed to her why he was so unconfident when it came to personal relationships. One of the few people that was supposed to love him unconditionally, did not even want him to born. She did the only thing she could think of. She pulled him into an embrace, and held him for a few minutes.  
  
Grissom felt oddly relieved. As Sara pulled him into her arms, he thought about how much his life had changed in the past hour. A simple cup of coffee between him and Sara had turned into probably the most pivotal moment of his life. A huge weight had been lifted off of his chest, and Sara had been there to help lift it. He could no longer deny to himself that he loved this woman. But before he could think about how he was going to tell her that, she spoke.  
  
"What happened after that?" Sara whispered into his ear, as she still held him close.  
  
He pulled back out of her arms, and stared at her. "They argued a little bit more, until my father left for a few days. He came back just to get the things he needed to survive, and by my fifth birthday, which was two weeks later, he was out of our lives for good."  
  
Sara still had one last question, one that she was ninety percent sure she knew the answer to, but was still afraid to ask. Grissom could see the question in her eyes however, and answered it softly, "My mother miscarried at seven weeks. All the stress that my father put her under and the stresses of being a new single mother to a five year old caused her to miscarry. And on top of everything she was going deaf."  
  
Sara's eyes widened. "Your mother was deaf," she stated simply, tears beginning to form in her eyes.  
  
"Yes, and I know that this sounds horrible and selfish, but I'm glad that she did miscarry because it would have been so hard on her to raise two kids. I mean, I was hard enough to raise by myself, but to throw another child into the mix, I don't know if she could have done it."  
  
"I think from what I've heard from you right now, she was strong enough to handle it. And if it makes you feel better, I think she did a wonderful job raising you." Sara smiled at him shyly before averting her eyes to the coffee table.  
  
Grissom's smile was absent from his lips, but evident in his eyes as he reached over and touched Sara's cheek, moving it slightly to get her to look back at him. Once he could look into her eyes again, he said softly, his hand still cupping her cheek, "Thank you, Sara. And I mean for everything today." He paused and took a deep breath. "When the Mitchell case was assigned to me ten years ago, I had just started working here in Vegas, and I wasn't great friends with anyone. I would have done anything for someone to help me through that case. And that's all I'm trying to do here with you, trying to be here for you if you need someone to talk to. It's too hard to keep everything to yourself. Keeping that bottled inside was such a burden, and you make me comfortable enough to lift that burden. I have never been this comfortable around another human being, and I don't know how to place it."  
  
"I know how you feel, Griss. I have never been this comfortable around anyone before either, and it's always been this way for me around you. I feel as though every secret is going to come flooding out, but I have always held them back because of what you may think of me."  
  
"Sara, I could never think anything bad of you." At her shocked face, he rubbed his thumb on her cheek, and continued, "And I'm not just talking about if you tell me your secrets. You are one of the most remarkable, wonderful, caring people I have ever met, and it makes it hard for me not to fall in love with you."  
  
Sara just stared at him, surprised at what he had just revealed. Grissom was just as surprised. 'That was not supposed to come out. I guess when you clear your conscience, everything gets cleared up."  
  
After a few moments, Sara cupped her hand around Grissom's face and gently nudged him to look her in the eyes. When his eyes met hers, she shyly smiled and asked, "You love me?"  
  
Grissom didn't answer for a few seconds, and Sara's emotions wavered, but soon stilled on hope when he spoke, "I think that I do."  
  
Sara smiled for a short moment, but her face soon turned serious. 'If he loves me, he deserves to know,' she thought to herself before she began talking.  
  
"When I was a sophomore in college." 


	5. Chapter 5

"When I was a sophomore in college, I met this guy Paul. He was a year older than I was, and he went to Boston University. I met him through a couple of friends who said he was a great guy and we would be perfect for each other." Sara sighed, not really wanting to relive the memories, but knew she had to continue. She had to continue for Grissom.  
  
"And we were really perfect for each other. He was really an outgoing guy, had tons of friends, partied hard, and not too bright. But he made me have fun in college. I mean, I traveled across the country to go to school at the most prestigious school in the nation. I didn't party my freshman year, I threw myself into my studies. But being with Paul made life so much fun. We would go to parties, go to sporting events, or just hang out with friends while watching movies or something. But it was always fun. And I helped him study a bit harder. After a while, he started getting better grades and enjoying school for the reason he was supposed to enjoy school. We brought out the best in each other. He was my first love."  
  
Sara grimaced at the sound of that last sentence. Grissom noticed and looked at her curiously. "What's wrong with him being your first love?"  
  
"It's not that. It's just that it sounds so melodramatic. 'My first love.'" Sara clasped her hands together and fluttered her eyelashes, and then proceeded to giggle .  
Grissom chuckled at her. He had always loved her laugh, and her smile. 'If I could catch that smile and keep it when I desperately needed it, I would never, ever be in a bad mood,' he thought to himself as Sara clamed down.  
  
Sara had realized that the slight humor of the situation had relaxed her from the nervous wreck she had been when she started the story, so she continued, "Anyway, he was my first love, and we were together half of my sophomore year, and then I moved into an apartment with him for my junior year. But the most important part of our relationship was that it had nothing to do with sex. I wanted to wait until I was ready, and in the beginning he was very respectful of my decision."  
  
"As any man should be," Grissom added quietly, knowing exactly where this story was headed.  
  
Sara just smiled slightly and delved straight into the story, "Soon he started getting anxious, and kept pushing. But I stood my ground. I was not ready to have sex with him. And soon it got to the point where I would have to sleep on the couch so that I could sleep without him groping me in the middle of the night." Grissom reached over and pulled her to him, her head nestled in the crook of his shoulder, and his arm rubbing small circles on her left arm. After a few moments, she continued, "Then, one night, he came home from a friend's house and we decided to have a few drinks before bed. Stupid me, I let him fix my drink for me, and he slipped something into it and I was out like a light."  
  
Tears were beginning to dampen Grissom's shirt, and he just held her tighter as he calmed her, "Sara, you weren't stupid. I'm sure he had fixed you lots of drinks in the past. You trusted him."  
  
"I know that, but I should have realized that I couldn't trust him."  
  
"But you were in a relationship with him. And a relationship is based on trust, Sara. It was your instinct to trust him to make you a drink and not drug you." Grissom reached down with his right hand and turned her to face him, her face cupped in both of his hands. "You did nothing wrong, Sara, nothing."  
  
All Sara could do was stare at Grissom, the tears falling freely down her face. When she averted her eyes downward, she began the conclusion of her story, "When I woke up in the morning, I was groggy and sore, but I couldn't figure out why. When I realized what had most likely happened, I packed up my stuff and left before he got home from work. I never saw him again."  
  
Grissom coerced her to look at him when he asked his next question. "Did you ever report it?"  
  
"I didn't remember a thing, so, no, I never reported it. At that point, I knew nothing about 'the clock' and DNA proving rape, and I figured no one was going believe some girl who walked into the police station and said she thought that her boyfriend drugged and raped her. And date rapists were never convicted back then. So I just stayed quiet, no one has ever known." And with that, Sara began sobbing into Grissom's chest as he held her as tightly as he could.  
  
When she had calmed down enough for him to speak so she could hear him, he whispered in her ear, "This is the first time you have ever let anyone comfort you, isn't it?"  
  
Sara pulled back and looked into his eyes. She nodded slightly and spoke quietly, "I've never trusted anyone enough to tell to story to. I was always afraid that someone would think of me as some porcelain doll, or even worse, completely stupid for not reporting the crime. Not remembering the whole incident really helped me get on with my life, and once I started in forensics, well, I figured I could help other girls get justice, even if I couldn't."  
  
She paused and collected herself before continuing, "Two weeks ago, when the Shannon case came in, I started that case like I would every other sexual assault case. But as I kept learning more and more about her, her case became my case, except that she died. And it made me think that I was so lucky not to be dead. I have no idea what Paul gave me that night. But it could have killed me. So in my mind, solving this case would be like solving mine. Kerrigan and her family and friends would get the justice they deserved, and knowing that I could have given it to them, well, would have given me justice as well. Unfortunately, none of us got the justice we deserved, and now the case is just another unsolved puzzle we can turn to when we're bored, or it's a slow night."  
  
Sara got up and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water, signaling the end of her story. Grissom followed her and watched her as she filled a glass and drank half of it. When she set the glass down, he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. She leaned back into his chest, as he whispered in her ear, "Sara, you can always trust me. Never think that you can't tell me something. I'll always be here for you. I do love you."  
  
Sara turned around in his arms and looked into his eyes. "I love you too, Griss. I always have, and I think I always will." She smiled at him as she leaned into him. Their lips brushed in a somewhat chaste kiss before tentatively increasing the passion behind the kiss. It was not an earth shattering kiss, but one filled with tenderness and comfort, pushing the painful memories revealed that morning back into the recesses of their minds, and filling their minds with love for each other.  
  
When they pulled apart, somewhat breathlessly, all they could do was look into each other's and smile. Grissom was the first to speak, "I think I should be going. I have to work tonight and I do need sleep."  
  
Sara still did not want to be alone, however, and looked at him shyly and asked, "Can you stay here?"  
  
At his questioning glance at her, she told him exactly what she needed. "I mean, well, I still don't want to be alone. And I want to sleep with you. Uh, I meant, go to sleep with you."  
  
Grissom decided that she was cute when she was flustered, and cupped her face in his hands again, and said, "I would love to. I don't think I want to go to bed alone today either."  
  
She smiled, leaned forward, and gave him a small kiss. Then she grabbed one of his hands from her face and pulled him towards her bedroom. Once inside, she grabbed some pajamas and walked into her bathroom to change. He stripped down to his boxers and his undershirt while she was in the bathroom and climbed into her bed. When she came out, she crawled right in next to him, spooning her back against his front. He kissed her neck and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her flush up against him, and both, exhausted from the morning they had, fell asleep, looking forward to what tomorrow would bring them. 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I took a little literary license with information regarding Grissom's mother. This is also the first of a few fluffy chapters, and I'm not so great at romance, so I hope you enjoy, and if you do…please let me know. ~maggienhawk

**SIX MONTHS LATER**

            Sara turned her car onto the dirt road that led to a cliff overlooking Lake Mead. She had no idea why she was driving here, especially this late in the afternoon. She had to work in 5 hours. 

            So did Grissom, which made Sara wonder what he was up to when she woke up to an empty bed, and a note on the kitchen counter from him:

            _Sara,_

_            Good afternoon, honey. Sorry I wasn't in bed when you woke up, but I needed to run a few errands. How about we meet at "our spot" around __5pm__? We'll have a picnic and just relax for a bit before work tonight. I love you._

_            Griss_

            In the six months that they had been together, they had never gone up to Lake Mead on days that they had to work. Actually, they hadn't been up there since Sara moved in with him two months before. Their "spot" had been frequented in the first four months, being far enough from Vegas, that they could be alone outside of each other's houses, without their relationship being discovered. 

            The past two months had been hectic, both adapting to living with someone else they had such strong feelings for. They had their share of arguments over the little things, but otherwise, life had been good for Grissom and Sara. After they revealed their weaknesses to each other, they both were constantly supporting each other through rough cases, and comforting each other when the case got to be too much. And they were happy.

            Sara couldn't remember a time where she was this happy with where her life was, and she thought this as she finally arrived at the cliff, and pulled right up next to Grissom's Tahoe. She smiled as she turned off the ignition, seeing the picnic Grissom had planned through her windshield.

            Grissom had been sitting on the blanket for the past hour, reflecting on the past six months of his life, and how happy he truly was. And it was all because of Sara. When he heard the sound of wheels crunching over the dirt road he stood up and turned around. He smiled at her and walked up to her as she stepped out of her car. After a small kiss, he grabbed her hand and gently tugged her over to the blanket. They sat down, Sara leaning back against Grissom, in between his legs, both staring out over the cliff at the calm waters below. 

            After eating the picnic that Grissom had packed, they just sat for awhile. Grissom had his arms around Sara, and Sara had her arms wrapped around his arms, holding them to her. Minutes later, Grissom began to speak quietly. "You know, I've never in my life thought that anything could be perfect."

            Sara interrupted quietly, "The problem being a scientist. We know nothing is perfect." She turned her head and smiled, and he leaned his head down to capture her lips in a small kiss.

            When they separated, he continued. "However, I think that this moment may be the most perfect moment I have ever experienced. I'm watching one of the most beautiful sunsets with the woman I love, who hopefully loves me back?" He questioned with a sly smirk on his face.

            All Sara could do was laugh. "Of course I love you. And yes this is the most perfect moment I've experienced. And the fact that it is with you, well that's just an added bonus."

            After another brief kiss, Grissom stared into her beautiful brown eyes. "I have an idea."

            She smiled back at him. "Yeah?"

            "How about we try and make this moment a little more perfect?"

            "And how would we do such a thing, Dr. Grissom?"

            Grissom brought his arms around Sara, in what she thought was a hug. However, he clasped his hands together and his left hand pulled a ring off of his right pinky finger. When he heard her small gasp, he tried to lighten the situation, "First of all, I would just like to say your investigative skills are slipping. I don't know if I should let you work for the LVPD anymore." He looked at her and winked.

            Sara, on the other hand, still could not believe that Gil Grissom had a ring in his hand, holding it out in front of her. She had not even noticed the ring on his finger, and she kicked herself for that right now. 'How dare he shock me like this?' He had told her once that he would never give a woman a ring unless it was an engagement ring. She stared, shocked, into his eyes, as he finished what he was saying.

            "Second, I want to give you this," he said motioning to the ring. "It's a Celtic Claddagh ring. My mother was part Irish and always used to wear one. Once I asked her about the ring and she said that each part of the ring symbolizes something. The hands coming together represent friendship; the crown represents loyalty; the heart obviously stands for love. Sara, you are my best friend and I love you more than anything. And I promise to be loyal to you, if you promise to be my wife."

            As Grissom spoke, tears welled up in Sara's eyes, and her smile grew, so that by the time he spoke his last word, she was giving him her "Sara Smile." She didn't trust her voice, so she just nodded as he slipped the ring on her ring finger. She raised her hand up to admire the ring. It was white gold, with a heart-cut diamond being held up by the two hands. Once she could speak, she turned in his arms and whispered "God, Gil. I love you so much," followed by a passionate kiss.

            After parting only due to the necessity of oxygen, they stood up and began to pack up the picnic, knowing that they would have to work in about two hours. Just thinking about work brought a question to the front of Sara's mind. "Griss, should we tell the team about this?"

            "I'm not sure. What do you think?"

            "I think that I want to keep this to ourselves for just a little bit longer. I want to be the only one that knows that you're my fiancé. At least for a couple more days." She smiled over the hood of his Tahoe. 

            "Then that's how it's going to be." He returned her smile, and teased, "But, as long as their investigative skills are sharper than yours, they are going to notice the ring, especially the gossip queen we know as Catherine."

            "I will never live down the fact that I sat with you for two hours and never noticed my engagement ring on your pinky finger, will I?" She asked as she climbed into the driver's seat of her car.

            "Nope," he said as he leaned in to her window and gave her a small kiss. "I'll see you later at work."

            "Yes, you will." She grinned as she began to back up, and drove away.


	7. Chapter 7

            Sara was sitting in the break room before shift, looking over a case file that she and Warrick had been working on the past couple of days. As she went to flip to the next page, she noticed her ring and grinned. 'I can't believe I'm engaged, and to Grissom at that,' she thought to herself. However, her thoughts were interrupted when Nick and Catherine walked into the room, chatting about something.

            "Hey Sara, how's the case going?" Nick asked as he went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. Catherine sat on the couch, grabbed a magazine off of the table, and began flipping through it.

            "Not too bad, just waiting on some test results. Hopefully it'll be wrapped up by the end of shift tonight." Sara shut the file and went to push a piece of her hair out of her face when she noticed a weird look on Nick's face. "What?"

            "That's a new ring isn't it?" 

            "You would make a great CSI, Nick." She smirked.

            At the mention of a ring, Catherine's head shot up. "Oh, let me see." She got up from her spot on the couch and walked over to the table. Instead of seeing just a generic ring on one of Sara's fingers, she saw a diamond on the most important of fingers. She gasped and grabbed Sara's hand.

            "Nick, this is not just a new ring. It's an engagement ring!"

            "What? No, it can't be. Sara hasn't even been seeing anyone."

            "But why would she be wearing a diamond ring on her left ring finger?" After further inspection, she continued, "It's one of those Celtic rings, and the heart is facing in, meaning that her heart is spoken for!"

            "Whose heart is spoken for?" Warrick asked as he sauntered into the room.

            "Sara's! She's apparently engaged, or at least according to Catherine." Nicky 

exclaimed, still trying to figure out the piece of this puzzle.

            Sara was getting testy a how they kept jumping to conclusions, and talking about her as if she wasn't in the room. "Guys, you know I'm right here, right? You guys are jumping to a lot of conclusions, and assuming a lot."

            Catherine and Nick looked at each other, and then back at Sara sheepishly. Catherine was the first to speak, "Sorry Sara, but come on, tell me that isn't an engagement ring?" 

            "You are right Cath, it is an engagement ring, but," raising her hand to silence the anticipated cacophony before it started, "I am not telling you who I am engaged to." She put her hand down.

            "WHAT?!?!" Three voices shrieked when Sara finished.

            Catherine again took the lead, "What do you mean you're not telling? Won't we find out eventually?" 

            "Yes, you will find out soon enough, but we want to keep it to ourselves for a little while longer."

            "Just tell me one thing, please?" Catherine begged, "Please tell me it isn't Hank."

            "Oh, God no! I would never, ever in my life marry him, that two timing scum."

            Catherine breathed a sigh of relief and then continued, "Is it someone in the department? Is that why you're keeping so quiet?"

Sara didn't get the chance to answer because Nick piped up, "It's Grissom! Right?"

            Two pairs of eyes shot to Nick, not believing he actually said that out loud, while Sara's eyes were fixed in a cold glare, urging him to shut up before she kicked his ass.

            "I, uh, was just kidding guys, you know, ha ha ha." Nick stuttered as he slumped back into his chair.

Warrick was the next to speak. "So, if you won't tell us who it is, will you tell us how long you have known him, and been seeing him. I mean, I had no clue you were seeing someone. I know I speak for everyone in this room when I say we don't want you jumping into something that you're not ready for."

"I don't think I would have said yes if I didn't think I could handle it, but I'll humor you. I've know this man for years, but I have been officially seeing him for."

Before she could finish, Nick interrupted, "Six months?"

She looked at him, surprised that he knew, "How did you know that?"

Nick grinned. "You said it yourself Sidle, I would make a great CSI. I've noticed that you've been a lot more content around here for the past few months. I just never associated that with a guy."

Sara was stunned that Nick had noticed that she had changed so much. "Well, you're right and just a little other tidbit to keep you guys hanging; I've been living with him for two months now."

Another chorus of "WHAT?!?!" sounded through the break room, as another person walked in the room.

Grissom determinedly walked into the break room to hand out assignments, but as he crossed the threshold of the room, he noticed three stunned co-workers, and his fiancé had a smug look on her face. 'They know she's engaged, but not to who.' He struggled to hide his grin, as he spoke, "What's going on in here?"

Sara was the only one who could speak at that point, "Oh, nothing, Grissom." She smiled smugly at the others.

Nick was the first of the three to recover enough to complain to his supervisor, "Nothing my ass, Sidle! Griss, Sara's engaged and she won't tell us to whom."

Grissom just shook is head at the Texan's almost pathetic whine. "Nick, if Sara doesn't want to tell you who she got engaged to, then she doesn't have to."

"But."

"Nick, shut up." Sara said, "I am not telling, so can we please move on."

Three voices grumbled their compliances as Grissom began handing out assignments, "Warrick, Sara, you need to finish up the Samson case. You both are on call for any new cases that come in. Nick, you pulled a trick roll on the Strip. Cath, you're with me. DB in the outskirts, I'll meet you at the truck."

Everyone began on their ways, except for Sara who decided she was going to sit in the break room to work for awhile. Grissom was the last one to leave her behind, and when he reached the door, he turned around and caught Sara's eye.

She smiled as he winked at her, turned and walked out the door, leaving her to her work.


	8. Chapter 8

            The next night, Sara walked into Greg's lab. The young lab tech was standing at the counter, working with some DNA samples, all the while bobbing his head to whatever rock music he had playing in the background. Sara smiled, and reached over to shut off the music, knowing that it would scare the hell out of him.

            Just as she suspected, as soon as the music was silenced, Greg whipped around, all ready to apologize to Grissom for even having the music on. However, as soon as he saw Sara's smiling face, he smiled right back at her. "Well, hello there Sara." He slid over to where she was standing. "What can I do you for you this wonderful evening?"

            "First of all, Greg, it's practically five in the morning, so not it's not technically evening anymore. And second, I need you run these samples ASAP." Sara suddenly turned serious.

            "Let me tell you something, you tell me who you're getting married to, and I'll put your samples before all the others." Greg waggled his eyebrows.

            "Greg," Sara warned, "I told you I'm not telling anyone just yet. But I really need these samples. A college girl is sitting in a hospital room, hoping that we catch the son-of-a-bitch who raped her. Please?" 

            "Well, even if I put them before everything else, you still won't get the results until later on in the day, probably next shift at the earliest."

            Sara sighed. "I know, I know. Just get the results to me as soon as they print out."

            "You know I will, Sara. But what are you worried about? You can now go home and spend time with your hubby-to-be. Whoever the lucky guy is?"

            "Nice try, Greggo, but I'm still not telling you." Sara smiled, in spite of the slight annoyance she felt. She was sick of everyone asking about her ring, or her fiancé. 

            "Okay, okay. I know when to give up." Greg reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. "But I just want to tell you, you look very happy. And that just does wonders for your beauty."

            "I am happy Greg, I have never been so happy in my life."

            Greg leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Then congratulations, Sara. You deserve to be this happy, and I'm so happy for you." He then walked over to the boom box, and turned his music on, although at a lower volume this time.

            Sara stood there, slight taken aback at what Greg had just told her. "Hey Greg?" He looked at her over his shoulder, and Sara continued, "You know, you are the first person to say that you were happy for me, and well, I guess it really means a lot to me."

            Greg shrugged, "Well, it's the truth."

            Sara smiled and made a quick decision. "Let me make you a deal. You gather everyone, Catherine, Warrick, Nick, Grissom, Brass and yourself, into the break room fifteen minutes before tonight's shift, and I will bring my fiancé in for you all to meet." After returning Greg's beaming smile, she turned and walked out of the lab.

            She walked down the hall to Grissom's office. Seeing the door open and the light on, she poked her head in the doorway. "Hey."

            Looking up from whatever file he was reading, Grissom smiled at the sound of her voice. "Hey, what's up?" 

            She stepped inside the office and lowered her voice, "We're telling them tomorrow."

            Grissom raised an eyebrow, "I thought you wanted to keep it a secret?"

            "I did, until I realized the mistake of keeping a secret from people trained to get secrets out of people keeping them. Our co-workers are driving me nuts, so we're meeting fifteen minutes before shift tonight so I can introduce my fiancé." She winked at him and walked to the doorway. Tuning back around, "We'll decide how to break it to them later, at home." She then disappeared into the hallway.


	9. Chapter 9

            A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews, everyone! It really makes me want to write more. This was the hardest chapter to write so far, probably because I had to include so many characters! But please let me know if you liked it!!!

Sara was sitting on the break room couch, reading a forensic journal. There was about twenty minutes before shift started, which meant in about five minutes, five very curious people would be waltzing into the room, expecting to meet someone new. She hoped they wouldn't be too disappointed that her fiancé was Grissom. 'Yeah right,' she thought, "They'll probably be ecstatic." 

Her thoughts were interrupted by four very excited people walking into the room. Catherine, Warrick, Nick, and Greg were all talking exaggeratedly, but once they saw Sara was in the room the shut up quickly. As they all found seats around the room, Greg was the first to break the silence, "Sara, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to bring in your fiancé?"

"I had to come in early to do a little work, but he'll be here. Don't worry guys. Damn, you are all acting like little kids on Christmas. It's just my fiancé."

Nick smacked her lightly on the shoulder. "Sara, hon, it's not just your fiancé. It's the man you're going to spend, hopefully, the rest of your life with. And we just want to meet the guy."

Catherine piped up. "He's right, and it's not everyday that one of our friends gets engaged, let alone someone we all know, and someone in this department."

Warrick put his two cents in, "Yeah, you know, it's like if just one of us finally gets a life around here, then we all need to make the most of it."

Sara stood up and walked over to the coffee pot. "You guys are right, and he should be here any minute."

A new voice was heard from the doorway. "Good so I didn't miss him?" Brass smiled as Sara turned around to see him.

"Nah, you're not too late. Now all we need is Grissom." She stopped as she noticed the looks her co-workers were giving each other. "Why are you guys looking at each other like that?"

Catherine looked over towards Warrick and he nodded, indicating that she should handle this. "We just thought, that given your, uh, history with Grissom, that he wouldn't want to meet your fiancé. You know, it would be weird for him to see you happy with someone else."

Sara started laughing softly. At the confused looks of her colleagues, she explained the reason for her laughter. "Grissom and I, well, yeah we had a rough couple of years there, but we've worked it out since then. He was the first person I told when I got engaged." At the now surprised faces of the five people in the room, she laughed a little stronger. "Guys! He's my friend, and has been for years now. Hell, you could even call him my best friend."

"Or, perhaps you could call him your fiancé."

Her back was to the door, but she didn't turn around right away when she heard Grissom's voice. She smiled, closed her eyes and sighed, and then finally turned around to look at him. When she opened her eyes she gasped when she saw a single red rose in his hand. She walked over to him and gave him a quick hug and small peck on the lips. Taking a quick look into his eyes and giving him her "Sara Smile," she turned back to look at the other people in the room, rose in hand.

Every single one of them had their mouths open, and were staring wide eyed at the couple. Brass was the first one to break out of his trance. "No way. This isn't a joke?"

As the others started to break out of their catatonic states, Grissom smiled at the detective, "No Jim, this isn't a joke. Sara and I are engaged. And we expect that little fact to stay within the confines of this room." He glared at the other four, who tended to spread gossip like wildfire. Four heads nodded at his response.

"Wow." Catherine was still reeling. "This is a shocker, though I shouldn't be surprised. The only thing is you two have been living together for the past two months?"

"Yeah!" Warrick was rubbing his head, trying to understand the situation. "How did we, of all people, miss that little tidbit?"

"We kept everything very low profile. We both still drove our own cars, and didn't drastically change out work habits, so you guys wouldn't notice." Sara smiled at the five.

Greg was the first to walk up to Sara to give her a hug, "I can not believe that you are marrying Grissom. Of all people to choose over me!" He winked and pulled her into a fierce hug.

Sara grinned and whispered into Greg's ear, "Greg, there was no competition between you and Grissom. It's always been Griss."

"I know, and like I said yesterday, I'm happy for you." He whispered back, before letting her go and turning to Grissom. "You are a lucky man, Grissom. Very, very lucky." He patted Grissom on the shoulder, and then announced, "Well, I have samples running in the lab, including a couple of yours, so I better get down there and finish them." With that he walked out into the hallway shaking his head and not believing what had just occurred in the break room.

Brass shook Grissom's hand as Warrick pulled Sara into hug, whispering congratulations in her ear. Catherine and Nick stood back waiting their turn as the two men switched who they were congratulating.

Brass whispered in Sara's ear, "You know, I have never, ever in all my time here in Vegas seen Gil Grissom this happy. And that's all because of you Sara. You keep him happy, he'll keep you happy." Sara just smiled through her unshed tears of happiness and nodded at the police captain. Pulling back from their embrace, Brass stated, "Well, I've got a scene to get to." Looking towards Grissom, who was shaking Warrick's hand, he continued, "Which of you CSIs will be at the 419 in Henderson?"

Grissom answered, "That would be Warrick and Nick, I've got paperwork, and Catherine and Sara are still working on their sexual assault from last night, right?" He looked over to Sara, who nodded back at him.

Warrick turned to Nick, told him would meet him at the Tahoe, and he and Brass walked out of the break room.

The group in the break room now consisted of two sets of best friends, each one including one of the newly engaged individuals. Catherine approached Grissom, and pulled him into a friendly embrace, while Nick crushed Sara with a huge bear hug. 

"I can't believe it!" Nick exclaimed. Once he released her a little bit, his hands still on her shoulders, he came to a realization. "Hey, you blatantly lied to me, Sara Sidle. I asked if it was Grissom!"

Sara started laughing, "Nick, I never actually said 'No I am not marrying Grissom.' Actually, I said nothing. Which, if you were a good CSI, you would have noticed that I was lying."

"Ouch," he pulled away from her, smiling, with his hands up in front of him, "That just hurt, Sara. But I think I'll forgive so that I don't ruin your day." Walking back over to her, and pulling her into a softer hug, he said, "Good for you, Sara. It's nice to see you out living your life the way you're supposed to. And you and Grissom are perfect for each other. I hope you both are really happy."

Meanwhile, the two other best friends in the room were talking quietly to each other. 

"Gil, I can't believe this. You finally took your head out of that microscope." Catherine smiled at him, and he glared at her in return, his lips upturned in a smirk. 

"Yes, I took my 'head of the microscope,' and it didn't require too much effort once we got past some of the obstacles."

"No wonder I haven't gotten any invitations to breakfast for awhile. I would have figured it out then." Catherine looked at Grissom pointedly.

Grissom just smiled, "Like we all have had time for breakfast around here. We've all been busy with this case, or that personal matter. Don't give me any crap about that."

"You're right; I was just kidding with you." Catherine laughed, and then turned a little more serious, "Are you happy? I mean, I don't have to ask Sara, because she's beaming, and has been for the past six months, but I didn't even notice a change in you."

"Am I happy?" Grissom looked at Catherine like she was crazy. "Happy is an understatement. I'm overjoyed, ecstatic, and thrilled that Sara would even consider being my wife. I've never felt like this before, Cath, and I never want this feeling to disappear."

Catherine pulled him in for another hug, and whispered in his ear, "Good, I'm so excited for you, Gil. You deserve to be this happy, and to make her happy. Congratulations." She pulled away as Nick and Sara were finishing up their second hug.

Nick walked over to Grissom, shook his hand and congratulated him. "Well, I've got to run. Warrick and I have a DB waiting for us. Bye!" He turned and walked out the door.

"I've got to get to work on the enormous stacks of paperwork in my office. How's your case going?" Grissom asked the two women.

Catherine was the first to answer, "We're waiting on lab results from Greg, and after that we were going to go back to the vic's clothes to check for trace, right Sara?" 

Sara nodded, and Grissom walked over to her, "Alright, I'll be in my office if you need me." Before turning to walk out of the room, he leaned over towards Sara for a small kiss, not wanting to make a scene in front of Catherine. After breaking apart, he smiled at Sara, nodded to Catherine, and walked to the hallway and down to his office.

Sara watched as he walked away, and turned to Catherine, ready to start work. Catherine on the other hand had other ideas, "Spill it, now."

Sara smiled at the other woman, thinking about how far they had come from their first introductions. While they still had their squabbles, they usually got over it pretty fast, and Catherine had become one her best friend's in Vegas. "What do you want to know?" she asked innocently.

"All of it."

"All of it?" Sara asked suggestively.

"Okay, not 'all' of it, but how you two finally got together." Catherine listened as Sara recounted the events that occurred in the past six months, leaving out exactly what case had brought them to Sara's apartment that first morning. She was just finishing up with what had happened two days ago up at Lake Mead, when they heard footsteps running down the hall.

Greg skidded to a stop right outside the break room, and bent over trying to catch his breath. Sara and Catherine walked over to the doorway to see why the lab tech was in such a hurry.

After catching his breath, Greg looked up to Sara. "I got your lab results back. Ran them through CODIS, but got nothing."

Catherine looked annoyed, "So you ran down the hall to tell us we're at a dead end?"

Greg shook his head and swallowed, "Then I decided to run the sample through the department database." He turned to Sara. "I got a hit."

Sara cautiously answered, "What did you get?"

"The semen sample from Tina Maxwell matches an unknown sample from a rape case six months ago."

Sara felt chills run up and down her spine. "Who was the victim?"

"Kerrigan Shannon."


	10. Chapter 10

"Kerrigan Shannon."

Sara felt the color drain from her face. 'This is not happening to me right now,' she thought to herself.

Both Catherine and Greg noticed how pale Sara had become at the mere mention of the name. "Hey Sara? Are you alright?" Greg asked as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Greg's voice brought Sara back from her thoughts. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Can I see the printout, please?"

"Yeah, here you go." He handed her the paper, as she began to read the results, he and Catherine shared a worried glance.

Catherine motioned for Greg to leave, and he turned and walked to his lab without a word. After making sure he was out of earshot, she turned back to Sara. "Hey, you alright?"

Sara looked up from the results to Catherine. "Um, this case is pinned up in Grissom's office. I'll go get it." She moved to step around the blonde, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. 

"Sara, you are very good at avoiding personal questions, but this time it's just not going to work." Catherine said as gentle as possible so that she wouldn't scare the brunette away. "What's the Shannon case, I need to be brought up to date on it. Everything about it."

Sara sighed, she knew she couldn't avoid Catherine this time, and actually felt the need to talk to someone about this case, other than Grissom. "Kerrigan Shannon was a nineteen year old girl, found raped and murdered in her college dorm room. Semen present, but not in CODIS. No other physical evidence, and her boyfriend, the prime suspect, had a shaky alibi, but there was no reason to take DNA from him. Closed it, and pinned it up on the fish board."

"And your emotional connection to the case?" Catherine raised an eyebrow.

Another deep sigh, "This one hit me hard, Cath. I broke down after I pinned it up six months ago."

Catherine's eyebrows shot upwards, "Six months? This is the case, the one that Grissom comforted you?"

Sara merely nodded. "I need to go get the original case file from Griss." She walked out, leaving a worried Catherine in her wake.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Sara stood in Grissom's doorway, thinking back to a time similar to this, only six months before. She watched him, letting a smile set on her face, before walking in and shutting the door.

He looked up at the sound of the door shutting. He grinned when he realized it was Sara in the office, but was wondering why she was shutting the door. She had never done that any other time she had entered the office. "Hey, what can I do for you?"

Sara's smile faltered as she remembered why she was in there for the first place. "I have to grab a file," she said as she sat down in a chair across from him.

Grissom looked confused, "Which one?"

"The Shannon case." She looked down at her hands.

He swallowed audibly. "Why?"

"DNA from semen found on Tina Maxwell is a match to the unknown sample on Kerrigan Shannon."

"Oh," Grissom watched her carefully. She looked upset. "Sara, are you okay. I mean, you haven't looked at the file in six months, let alone talked about it. Are you sure that you can handle this?"

She looked back up to him and gave him a small smile. "I think I'll be fine. It's just that it came back up as a surprise. I haven't thought about it the past couple of months too much because I had better things to think about. I mean, I didn't want to dwell on this unsolved case, and while yes it was in the back of my mind all the time, I had you to distract me." There was a full blown grin on her face now. Leaning over the desk she gave him a small kiss on the cheek, and whispered in his ear, "Thank you for being my diversion."

"You're welcome."

Sara pulled back and walked over to the board. The happiness she just felt faded fast when she saw the file. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, and when Grissom saw this, he walked over to her, and put his hand son her shoulders. She barely spoke, "I can do this."

"I know you can."

She reached up and pulled the file down, and opened it up, looking straight into the blue eyes of Kerrigan Shannon. Sara closed her eyes at the sight, and memories came flooding back to her. One lone tear made its way down her cheek.

Grissom saw the saline drop, and brushed it away quickly. "Honey, are you positive you can handle this?"

She opened her eyes and looked up to him. After a deep breath and a moment spent collecting herself, she answered him, "I'm positive. And I also have Catherine working with me. She knows what's going on. Two smart women are always better than one." She smiled at the memory of her and her coworker's first meeting.

"Okay, well you better get moving. She might wonder what we're up to in here. And we definitely don't need that kind of gossip going around the lab." Grissom smirked.

Sara started laughing, "Griss, I'm sure they've figured out that we're sleeping together. I mean, we are getting married."

"Yeah, but we don't do anything on CSI time. That's what I'm worried about."

"Everyone knows better. Catherine knows exactly why I'm in here, and if the boys even thought about spreading any kind of rumor, I'd kick their ass."

"Right after I fired them." Grissom smiled.

"Aww, you wouldn't fire them, just ream them a new one and the send them on their way." She gave a little laugh, and gave pulled him into an embrace. "I've got to get going. Love you."

"I love you too. Be careful today."

"I always am." She pulled away and walked out of his office, Shannon file in hand, feeling more confident about this case than ever.


	11. Chapter 11

            **A/N: Well everyone, this is the last chapter, and I hope you have all liked it. Please, please, please tell me what you think of it. Enjoy!!!**

Standing in the layout room, evidence from both cases spread out in front of them, Sara and Catherine attempted to find the connection between the two cases, other than the attacker. 

            "Where was Tina the night of the attack?" Catherine asked the brunette, knowing that Sara had taken the young woman's statement. 

"She said she was at a friend's house, and they were doing a little drinking, and the next thing she remembers is she was back at home." Sara sighed, "We may have to go back to her, for more specific information."

"That sounds like a good idea. Why don't you go talk to her some more, and I'll stick around here looking over this stuff." At Sara's questioning glance, she explained, "First, you probably know the Shannon evidence inside and out, so fresh eyes will be better. And second, Tina already trusts you. We don't need to be throwing too many people at her asking for more information than she can give."

Sara thought about it all for a second, and nodded. "Okay, I'll head over to her home." She started to walk out of the room, but turned back to Catherine, "Hey Cath?" Once the blonde had looked back up to her from the evidence, Sara smiled, "Thanks for helping me out on this one."

Catherine smiled right back. "No problem, I know how much this case means to you."

Sara's smile faltered a little before she turned back to the door. "See you in a little bit." She walked out into the hallway, thinking to herself, _Catherine has no idea how much this case means to me._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sara stood outside the small house that Tina Maxwell called home. The door opened, revealing a short, blonde college student. "How can I help you?"

"My name is Sara Sidle, I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. I'm looking for Tina Maxwell. Is she here?"

"Oh yeah, she is. Come on in." She opened the door to let Sara in and called up the stairs for Tina. Turning back to Sara, she said, "Why don't you take a seat? Tina will be right down." The blonde walked into the kitchen, where Sara had noticed she had textbooks spread across the small table.

A few minutes later, Tina walked slowly down the stairs, and Sara stood up to greet her, holding out her hand. "Hi Tina, How are you doing today?" she asked sympathetically. 

"Better than yesterday, but not too good," she answered honestly while both of the women sat back down on the couch.

All Sara could do was nod silently at the tall redhead. Tina was a natural beauty, much like Sara, and did not need the aid of makeup to make her look beautiful. Sara took a deep breath and told Tina why she was visiting her. "Tina, we need some more information from you about the night you were attacked." 

Tina let out a small gasp, and put her head in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees. Sara reached over to her shoulder. "I know how hard it is, but we believe that your attacker had done this to someone a few months ago, and she was found dead the next morning, poisoned by the drugs he gave you girls."

Tina looked back up to Sara, shocked. "You mean the creep that did this to me, did the same thing to someone else? And she…" She couldn't finish the sentence. She was sobbing uncontrollably.

All Sara could do was rub the young woman's shoulder until she stopped crying enough that she could talk. "Tina, I need you to tell me where and who you were with that night."

After collecting herself, Tina began to speak quietly, "I was at one of the basketball players' houses." She continued telling Sara exactly what she remembered and who was there. After about forty-five minutes, Sara thanked Tina, and left to head back to the crime lab.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sara walked briskly into the layout room where Catherine was still hard at work reviewing the evidence. She had Tina's clothes out in front of her at the moment, looking for trace, but not having very good luck. She looked up when she saw that Sara had stepped on the other side of the table. "That was quick. Did you find out anything?"

Sara smiled. "She went over to a house rented by four of the basketball players, with three of her friends. She remembered one of the boys, a Jarred Williams, had fixed her a drink, and was hanging all over her early in the evening. Her friends left and she stayed behind because her and Jarred had been talking for awhile and she still wanted to hang out with him."

Catherine interrupted, "Jarred Williams was…"

"Kerrigan's boyfriend," Sara finished for her, smiling even more.

"If the other three girls can confirm that Williams was there that night, then that should be enough to get a warrant for DNA."

"One of them already did. She was Tina's housemate. I got her statement while I was taking to Tina." Sara handed Catherine a file folder. "She'll have to come in to make it official."

"Even so, we may not have enough to get a warrant for just Jarred's DNA, but for the all of the boys that live in that house, just to rule them out as other suspects." Catherine reminded her.

"That's fine, as long as we get his. I know it's him Cath, I've known it since the beginning," She admitted honestly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Catherine observed Sara and O'Reilly in the interrogation room as they questioned Jarred Williams. She smiled as the two proceeded.

O'Reilly stood against the wall, and allowed Sara to run the interrogation. "Jarred, can you tell me what you were doing Tuesday night?"

The kid crossed his arms and smiled at Sara smugly. "I was hanging out with a few friends, and then went to bed. I had classes and practice the next day, and needed my sleep."

"Was one of these 'friends' Tina Maxwell?"

"The name sounds familiar. I can't really remember, I told you. I went to bed early." He uncrossed his arms and leaned back into the chair.

"Yeah, you told me." Sara took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair, mirroring his actions. "You also told me the same thing six months ago when your girlfriend, Kerrigan Shannon, was found dead. Remember?"

The boy's eyes widened slightly, but he remained composed. "Oh yeah, I remember you now. You accused me of killing her, and now you're accusing me of what exactly?"

"The sexual assault of Tina Maxwell. And this time, I have proof that you did it."

"You have nothing," Jarred glared at her snidely.

She opened the file folder in front of her, and lifted a DNA report so that she could read it. "You remember that swab we took of your mouth yesterday? We used that to match your DNA to the semen found on both Kerrigan and Tina. And since you denied having intercourse with both of the girls, and we found your DNA, we've got you for two counts of rape, two counts of using a controlled substance during a sexual assault, and one count of murder." Sara closed the file, and stood up, watching the boy look up at her, unaffected by the news. 

"They both deserved it. They wouldn't give it up, so I helped it along. It's their own fault."

All Sara could do was stare at the boy as she motioned to the detective in the corner. "O'Reilly, He's all yours," She said, disgusted. She walked out the door without a single glance behind her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After stepping out into the hallway she leaned up against the wall, with her arms crossed and head bent down. She only looked up when she heard the door to the observation room open and close. Catherine was standing there, watching her with a concerned look on her face.

Sara smiled bleakly, and reassured her coworker, "Before you ask, I'm fine. I'm actually better than I have been because this guy is in custody. It just always amazes me what people do to each other, just for a little action."

"I've told Nick this before: Human beings are capable of anything." Catherine walked over to Sara and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you go find Grissom and cut out of here a little early? I'll deal with the paperwork on this one."

Sara smiled. "I haven't had an offer that good all day, but you can leave the paper work, and I'll do it tonight. Go home to Lindsey. I'll see you later Catherine. And thanks again." She turned and walked out of the Police Department, file folders in hand. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Grissom returned to his office after working out in the field, only to find his fiancé curled up on the small couch in the back. He smiled as he squatted down to brush some hair out of her face, and to cup her cheek.

Sara felt something tickling her face and stirred slightly, opening her eyes. "Hey."

"Hey you. How long have you been in here?"

Sara sat up, rubbing her face like a small child would, and gave him a small smile. "What time is it?" 

"It's about eight o'clock." He sat next to her, and pulled her into his arms.

"I've only been in here for about an hour. Catherine sent me to find you and go home, but Greg told me you were out in the field." She sighed and closed her eyes as she snuggled further into his arms. "We closed the Maxwell and Shannon cases. I'll do the paperwork tonight when I get the chance."

Grissom titled his head down to look at her, but her eyes were closed and her face was buried in his chest. He gently grabbed her chin when he noticed the tears falling down her face. "That's good news, honey. Why are you crying?"

She opened her eyes, and all he could see was the fear in them. "I thought that once the Shannon case was closed, I could deal with what happened to me a whole lot better. I thought that I could face her attacker, and bringing him to justice would be like putting Paul away for what he did to me. But Grissom, looking into that kid's eyes, and hearing why he did it, it just tears me up inside. He feels no remorse for what he did, and he can move on. Tina will live with what happened to her for the rest of her life, and Kerrigan will never experience the life she had in front of her. And I…I can only see the kid's face, telling me that these girls deserved it because they wouldn't sleep with him. That it was their fault. I can only wonder if this was what Paul was thinking when he did it to me."

By this point, Sara's face was dripping with tears, and even a few tears had made their way down Grissom's face. He gave her small kiss on the lips, and looked right into her eyes. "Sara, I'm not going to lie to you, but maybe that's exactly what he was thinking. But you'll never know, and I don't want to see you waste your life wondering about someone that hurt you in your past." He pulled her back to him, and gave her a gentle hug. "I love you, more than anything, and I would never, ever hurt you intentionally."

"I know that Griss, I do know that." She looked up to him and leaned in for a kiss.

This kiss turned passionate within moments and Grissom was the first to break away. "Let's go home." He stood and reached out his hand for her.

"That sounds like a good idea." She accepted his hand and once he had packed up all of the paper work he needed to take home, they walked out of the room, shutting the door behind them, leaving the Shannon and Maxwell paperwork locked in the office to be dealt with another time.


End file.
